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A Revolutionary Theory in AnthropologyHumanculture is a remarkable, complex phenomenon, often seen as a defining feature that sets humans apart from other species. But what truly distinguishes humanculture? But what truly distinguishes humanculture? Read more
A Quest for Our Earliest Stories Myths and legends have always been windows into the human psyche, revealing our fears, dreams, and attempts to understand the world. Yet, could these stories also encode the history of humanity’s migrations and interactions?
However, the journey to this unique bond between humans and canines was far from straightforward. A new study 1 suggests that in prehistoric Alaska, humans repeatedly domesticated and lived alongside not just dogs but also wolves, wolf-dog hybrids, and even coyotes. Sablin, M.
For the eighth season of the SAPIENS podcast, were meeting at a crossroads of culturespast and presentin search of humanitys collective destination. Culture is a force that makes us who we are. Cultural conflicts are at the heart of many crises facing the worldincreasing inequality, persistent bigotry, ecological collapse.
A new study published in Scientific Reports 1 takes another look at human remains from Maszycka Cave in Poland, and the findings reignite a long-standing debate. Human induced modifications on cranial and postcranial remains. Cut Marks and Cracked Bones: The Case for Cannibalism Maszycka Cave is not new to the anthropological world.
Between 45,000 and 29,000 years ago, early human activity not only altered landscapes but also reshaped the complex web of interactions between scavengers and prey. Large predators, such as hyenas and cave lions, were gradually displaced, while smaller scavengers like foxes and birds thrived in human-dominated environments.
Nightingale College, South Dakota, US As I grade my Cultural Anthropoloy classs Emic and Etic Perspectives of Halloween essay, two things strike me: 1. For anyone who has been teaching anthropology over the last two years, the latter will be of no surprise to you. We are the discipline of anthropology. Chloe Beckett, M.A.,
The human skeleton has long been a resource for science, offering insights into disease, migration, and evolution. Credit: Boris Hamer from Pexels A Legacy of Exploitation For centuries, human remains have been collected, often without consent, to serve scientific and medical purposes.
An anthropologist and poet reflects on a journey of return that tells a larger story about human connection, acts of Indigenous solidarity, and the potential for repair within anthropology. IN 2023, I BEGAN the process of consultation toward repatriation on behalf of the anthropology department.
The results challenge long-held assumptions about how early humans controlled tool shape and suggest that the differences in Levallois core designs may be more influenced by cultural traditions than previously thought Why Levallois Technology Matters Levallois technology represents a milestone in human cognitive and technological evolution.
Application of Archaeology Archaeology is the study of human past through material remains. archaeologists study past humans and societies primarily through their material remains – the buildings, tools, and other artifacts that constitute what is known as the material culture left over from former societies.
London Anthropology day, 30 th June 2023, British Museum Are you fascinated by different cultures? Curious about human evolution? Discover what anthropology is all about by popping along to the British Musuem for London Anthropology Day. Or looking for a broad and exciting degree?
Anna Apostolidou PhD, Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology, Ionian University Given the history of our discipline, it seems rather peculiar that anthropologists are not more “naturally inclined” to employ multimodality in their research and teaching.
Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights, met with stakeholders in the Philippines to report on the status of the country regarding environmental and human rights protection. Read the introduction to the collection here. In November 2023 , Ian Fry , the first U.N.
These findings offer new insights into the evolutionary pathways of dexterity and cultural development that began long before the genus Homo emerged. sediba hand displayed more human-like traits compared to the mosaic of apelike and humanlike features found in the hands of A. sediba had hand muscles more similar to humans than to apes.
In the 8th century CE, the Avars—an enigmatic group with roots in the East Asian steppes—settled in Central Europe, weaving a tapestry of cultural cohesion amid genetic diversity. Their findings reveal an intriguing story of cultural integration despite distinct genetic divides.
Among the latest findings, researchers have uncovered bone needles crafted from the remains of fur-bearing animals, suggesting these ancient humans produced garments that helped them survive cold climates.
This suggests that children may have recognized and elaborated upon the figurative potential of their own creations, blending play and representation in a uniquely human way. Children, Metaphorical Thinking, and Upper Paleolithic Visual Cultures Author : Nowell, A. Journal : Evolutionary Human Sciences , 2020. DOI : 10.1017/ehs.2020.37
In preparation for a class based my 2022 article in Teaching Anthropology, Toward a Pedagogy for Consumer Anthropology: Method, Theory, Marketing , I provided ChatGPT with the following prompt: Use the research findings below to create 12 marketing ideas for Duncan Hines cake mix.
In addition to providing needed heat, wood-hauling practices are an essential part of cultural identity. These values rest on the belief that humans are apart from natural systems rather than a part of these systems, creating tensions for federal land managers and residents. What’s going on back there to have that blocked off?
A Discovery in the Desert The story of human migration is often told in sweeping arcs—great waves of Homo sapiens leaving Africa, moving into Eurasia, and eventually populating the entire planet. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025).
A recent study, published in the European Journal of Archaeology 1 , suggests these plaques may represent one of humanity's earliest attempts at recording genealogy—a non-verbal precursor to modern ancestry documentation. Journal : Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences , 2017. eyes, noses) weakens this claim.
The human urge to collect and preserve objects, what Jacques Derrida calls archive fever , takeson special significance when there is no body to bury, no grave to visit. Anthropologist Christopher Tilley beautifully phrases that often in material culture [t]he thing is the person and the person is the thing.
It is also known as physical anthropology, which originally referred to the study of human biology within the framework of evolution and with an emphasis on the interaction between biology and culture. Thousands of specimens of human ancestors (mostly fragmentary) are now kept in research collections.
Marilou Polymeropoulou, University of Oxford, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Active learning is a well-established pedagogical strategy in secondary and tertiary education where independent learning and critical thinking are nurtured. Three challenges in teaching anthropology. Teaching Anthropology 1 (2), pp.
Intersectional Anthropology. I’ll start with a confession: I am not a cultural anthropologist. Here, I share about my class, “Intersectional Anthropology,” and reflect on some of the ways it has played into my career, while also acknowledging my privileges as a person who holds a Ph.D.
Cultural Relativism Cultural Relativism expresses the idea that the beliefs and practices of others are best understood in the light of the particular cultures in which they are found. Most societies are not relativist: they view their own ways as good, other people's as bad, inferior, or immoral a form of ETHNOCENTRISM.
To his point, I find the current slew of handwashing videos on YouTube and other sites to be excellent resources for anthropology class projects, and utilize several in an activity that nurtures introductory students’ skills in critical thinking and observation. Human hygiene is taken as an example. It is not one size fits all’.
For decades, archaeologists have described the architectural evolution of early human settlements as a transition from circular to rectangular structures—a shift thought to reflect deeper societal changes. These sites span from the Natufian culture (15,000 years ago) to the early Neolithic period (8,500 years ago).
iv] Anthropological attention to Peasant study: Although Robert Redfield’s fieldwork in Mexico as early as 1926 is considered to be the first attempt to see peasant as an analytical category, the study of peasant or the use of the term peasant is quite old.
A lobster is dismembered on a purple cushion to show its numerous components, and seven human fetuses float in jars, eyes variously opened or closed in eerie states of peace, calm, and disarray. Anthropology and taxidermy are not dissimilar practices. A taxidermic non-human animal stuffed and snarling in the attic.
Anthropology has long been celebrated as a discipline that offers profound insights into humancultures, societies, and behaviors. Its holistic approach and emphasis on reflexivity have contributed significantly to our understanding of the human experience.
A Genetic Mystery Unraveled For years, scientists have tried to piece together the evolutionary puzzle of human language. What genetic shifts allowed humans to develop the intricate vocal control necessary for language? Research suggests that mutations in the human NOVA1 gene may have played a role in the development of language.
The courses covered many domains—design, medicine, the environment—but most featured an anthropological flair, and most of the organizers had an anthropology background. I titled my course—one of the four core courses—“Tears of the Earth: An Anthropological Thinking Experiment.”
In featuring three SAPIENS poems, students in a digital anthropology seminar infused video reels for Instagram with vivid history and powerful emotions. ✽ For a digital anthropology seminar at the University of Denver, I asked my students: “Why do the pressures of our lived realities demand a response through poetry?”
Cultural artifacts, traditions, and knowledge do not simply move; they shift, adapt, and sometimes disappear in the process. When MySpace lost 50 million songs during a server migration , it wasnt just a glitchit was a reshaping of independent music history, determined by infrastructure choices rather than cultural value.
A groundbreaking study 1 of ancient human DNA from the Oakhurst rock shelter in South Africa is shedding new light on population history in one of the world’s earliest regions of modern human activity. It contained more than 40 human graves and preserved layers of human artifacts, such as stone tools, going back 12,000 years.”
Powers, scholar of Lakota life and culture, died on January 5, 2025, at the age of 90. At the time of his death, Bill had participated in Lakota (Teton Sioux) culture for 75 years. After obtaining a GED, he earned a bachelors degree in anthropology at Brooklyn College and a masters degree at Wesleyan University under David P.
From the audience, as an anthropologist-in-training afraid her fieldwork would amount to nothing, I was thrilled to hear a cultural-historical reference on the nose enough for me to easily interpret (ventriloquize?). This statement might seem at first glance to be in line with an account that considers history and cultural conditions.
In classical sense society refers to a group of people who share a common ‘culture’, occupy a particular territorial area and feel themselves to constitute a unified and distinct entity (Frisby and Sayer 1986). A society is made up of a population, organisation, time, place and interest.” This ever changing and complex system is society.
Ariana Gunderson is a PhD student in Anthropology at Indiana University and the Anthropology News Section Editor for SAFN. But, these tropical foods like banana and pineapple are not part of my heritage or my culture, so I don’t feel like I’m losing that identity by not consuming those foods.
The Search for Early Symbolic Expression For decades, archaeologists have debated the origins of symbolic thought in early humans. Was it an innovation exclusive to modern humans, or did our distant relatives also engage in abstract expression? Symbolic behavior in early humans is often difficult to identify with certainty.
The genetic legacy of Neanderthals persists in modern humans, with 1-2% of non-African genomes composed of Neanderthal DNA—a determination made through comprehensive sequencing and comparison of ancient and modern genomes. “These beneficial traits spread rapidly in early human populations.”
The Ancient Hearths of Fuente del Salín Fire has long been a cornerstone of human existence, providing warmth, protection, and a means to cook food. But was its use during the Upper Paleolithic purely practical, or did it hold deeper cultural significance? A Ritual of Flames?
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